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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. court — of a king
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. track — a path
  5. face — to confront
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. track — a song
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. file — a document
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pit — a hole
  17. file — a tool
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. key — in music
  20. snap — to click
  21. track — to keep track
  22. key — the most important part
  23. face — part of the head
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com